PRO FOOTBALL; Will Manning Be a Star? Yeah, When Pigskins Fly

By BILL PENNINGTON

Published: August 22, 2006

It was the last play of Sunday evening's practice, and it featured a long pass lofted from the right hand of Eli Manning. The ball spiraled in the sky against the clouds of an approaching thunderstorm until the spindly form of receiver Plaxico Burress leapt, lightning quick, to snare the pass as he fell into the end zone for a touchdown.

It is becoming a more natural reaction for Coughlin in his third Giants training camp, and the progress of Manning has much to do with it.

''His percentage of completions is higher than last season,'' Coughlin said before Monday's practice. ''He has thrown the ball downfield with good arm strength and accuracy. We chart every throw, and there is noticeable improvement. You can see the progress.''

Coughlin has seen development in other ways, too.

''There has been improvement for which there would be no stat, like knowing when to throw the ball away rather than risk an interception,'' he said. ''He has found second and third receivers under duress, even going all the way across the field to find a third receiver. These are all things you can see.''

The Giants are days away from breaking camp, with Coughlin on Monday even calling off the last of the scheduled two-a-day practice sessions. It has been an uneventful training camp with a quiet undercurrent befitting the personality of the team's most prominent player. As the Giants become more and more Manning's team, Manning becomes more and more accomplished in his role.

''He's the captain of the ship, and he's picking up his performance as he goes,'' Burress said. ''You can see some of the changes -- more confident, more comfortable.''

Asked if Manning was ready to be one of the best quarterbacks in the N.F.L., Burress, whose relationships with his coach and his quarterback have occasionally been hard to read, answered, ''I don't really think it's too far away.''

Coughlin, more cautious, made no such projections for his franchise player.

''I think he's been sharp,'' he said.

Manning did not disagree, though his favored response to questions about himself is a crooked grin and a shoulder shrug. Still, Manning acknowledged that he was ''probably'' performing at a higher level this summer than last.

''Obviously, some things come more easily now than they did when I was a rookie or even last year,'' he said.

''I see and understand the intent of a play or a pass better. I know how some of the receivers like to run certain routes before the play has even started. That helps you react more quickly.''

Amani Toomer, the best wide receiver who has ever played for the Giants, who has accommodated a host of quarterbacks in his 11 years with the team, said Manning's development had followed a routine course.

''We know Eli's personality and his moods,'' Toomer said. ''There is no mystery now. I think Eli was ready to take command of the team last year, but there is growth year to year.

''He knows where to go with the football a lot quicker in this camp than a year ago. It might come down to belief in yourself.''

Or of a team's belief in the quarterback.

The last pass of Sunday evening's practice was a risky one. Defensive back Curtis Deloatch was running stride for stride with Burress as Manning wound up to throw. A few seconds later, the training camp crowd was cheering. Offensive players jogged in place, arms in the air. The head coach was happily calling an end to another long day.

''You have to have that feeling that if all else is equal, Eli can win it for us with a great game,'' Toomer said Monday.

EXTRA POINTS

Tom Coughlin was asked Monday about his rapport with Plaxico Burress, who has suggested he would like to have a warmer relationship with his head coach. ''I'm just as approachable as anyone,'' Coughlin said. ''I like a good story or a laugh. The door is open, come on in. I don't have an agenda. I don't have a chip on my shoulder or a big ego.'' Wide receiver Tim Carter, entering his fifth year, has often been injured but has been more durable during this year's training camp. The rookie receiver Sinorice Moss, meanwhile, has been sidelined with a leg muscle strain for all of August. Coughlin said Monday that he was impressed with Carter and not disappointed in Moss. ''I think Tim has learned that you have to be able to play with some things,'' Coughlin said. Of Moss, he said, ''This is a real injury that has prevailed far longer than anyone thought.''

Photos: Eli Manning's on-field judgment has earned praise from his normally hard-to-please coach, Tom Coughlin. (Photo by Robert Caplin for The New York Times); Receiver Plaxico Burress, looking for room against the Chiefs in last week's preseason game, says Manning is playing with more confidence. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)